Course attendee wants refund due to absence

saajan_12

Tim_B_2 said:

I run a course that that runs for a few months, and one person attended for the first few weeks but then messaged to say they were unable to attend due to illness, and would update me on when and if they would be back but didn't. The course was fully booked and I was unable to offer the spot to anyone else. And now after the course has finished, they are demanding a refund for the period that they were away. The course registration page does explain there are no refunds, however this person says that this is an unfair term for their circumstances and will use section 75 or will go to a small claims court.

Any advice on this? Surely I can't be expected to refund anyone who claims they were unwell, and if that's a valid reason to be obliged to refund a customer by law then everyone could use this excuse?

Its not unfair, he would be liable to your lost profits which here is 100% of the cost because you were unable to replace him (as it was mid course and a new starter wouldn't be caught up). 

Simply state that and let him waste time/money on escalating it if he wants. Often the escalation is an empty threat and even if not, you have a good case. 

seatbeltnoob

best thing I would do as a gesture of goodwill is for them to join back into the class next time it runs so they can continue where they left off. 

Do not say "t&c say this", you have to manage peoples tempers and emotions when dealing with customers in the social media age. If they leave a 1 star review then you will wish you had just refunded them. 

I deal with idiot customers in retail and unfortunately you just have to accomodate them because if you refuse and they have a tantrum they'll go all over the internet and badmouth you. 

Explain to them you had limited spaces so you had full booked the classes, so you will be out of pocket if you refund them and the best you can do is allow them to come in and drop into classes in future so they can complete the course. 

If the no-refund policy is not in the terms and conditions, or the cancellation policy is not fully explained then you dont have the right to accomodate their refund request 

EnPointe

sammyjammy said:

Absolutely not, he started the course and didn't finish it, illness or not its not your problem.

indeed the 'nice' option  would be for the OP to  allow the person to sit the course again...  however they ( the person)  seem to be a bit of a chancer 

martindow

EnPointe said:

sammyjammy said:

Absolutely not, he started the course and didn't finish it, illness or not its not your problem.

indeed the 'nice' option  would be for the OP to  allow the person to sit the course again...  however they ( the person)  seem to be a bit of a chancer 

I agree, but the OP is probably not keen on having them back on a course where there is no saying what they might say to others.  Possibly refunding is the best way to get shot of this person even if it is done through gritted teeth.  

From the other side I know of some people who have enrolled on very long courses with weekends every few months over several years.  People on these are required to pay for the whole course upfront.  Some participants  have had major upheavals in their lives or suffered serious illnesses part way through.  They have been very disgruntled at being refused a partial refund and were telling anyone who would listen about their experiences.

This negative publicity must have done some harm to the business concerned which probably exceeded the cost of negotiating a refund.